Abstract

A method of obtaining rocking‐beam microarea electron diffraction patterns is described employing the electron optics of a single‐field condenser‐objective lens in a commercial scanning transmission electron microscope.Theoretical and experimental evidence is presented showing that it is possible to obtain diffraction patterns from areas less than 3 nm in diameter with minimum lattice spacings of 0.14 nm. This is demonstrated with a specimen consisting of small gold particles evaporated on a carbon substrate.